8 Pro-Tips to Save Money and Avoid Online Shopping Regrets

Melissa Page is a freelance writer, aspiring entrepreneur and absolute cat lover. When she’s not writing about fashion and lifestyle, she’s dreaming about her next big move. Continue reading for 8 tips from Melissa for saving money and avoiding online shopping regrets!
Nowadays, you can practically do anything online. From purchasing shoes, to browsing electronics, and even to shopping for houses, there are countless things to do without stepping out of your apartment. After all, not everyone has the time to go to a store, search for items, test them out, and make the purchase. With tons of online options to choose from, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. To help you shop smarter and avoid buyer’s remorse, here are 8 online shopping pro-tips:

1. Always use an online coupon. Never take online coupons for granted! Using coupons can get you lots of savings. You can use them individually or strategically combine coupons to get the best price. Also, you can find discount codes by searching online coupon sites like Coupon Cabin.

2. Take advantage of rewards programs. Another great way to score discounts is by using reward programs. Several online shopping sites offer them, but there are different ways companies do this. Most offer a point system, where you can get points for buying their products, and these points correspond to a value which you can use for future purchases.

3. Outwit the dynamic pricing trap. Most shopping sites gather information about their online shoppers such as location, browsing patterns, and spending patterns. They use this information to make their pricing dynamic. You might experience this when you view a particular product one day, then notice a relative 30 percent increase in the price the following day. To combat this dynamic strategy, you can try using the private browsing capabilities of your browser and delete your browsing history. This will help and prevent websites from gathering pertinent shopping data.

4. Don’t shop at just one site. When shopping online, it’s best to check out other sites and compare their prices. Many popular brands (and even small local boutiques!) have moved online and set up online clothing stores offering different prices for particular clothing. Comparing multiple sites is a great thing to do if you’re looking to score the best prices for a certain product. However, you will need to consider the legitimacy of the sites to prevent scams.

5. Use comparison checks. If you don’t have time to check out various websites, try websites that review and compare products. Some of these sites offer sufficient comparison charts to make it easier to make a decision and simplify your shopping experience.

6. Don't forget the shipping costs. More often than not, shipping costs make the entire purchase more expensive than it should be. So, always check policies regarding shipping! Also, make note of stores that offer free shipping for certain items. There are also several brands that will offer free shipping if you spend a certain amount.

7. Read the site’s return policy. Another thing that shoppers overlook is the product return policy. It is important to know the return policy, so you can be aware of who is going to pay for the return of the items and reshipping it back to you. Reading the site’s return policy will help you avoid breaking their clauses.

8. Accumulate more coupons with multiple email addresses. Online shops usually send coupons and discount codes to their customers through email. You can take advantage of this by registering with multiple email accounts. Once you have your email accounts running, you can then sign up for newsletters to get your coupons. You have a higher chance of increasing your savings if you increase the number of coupons at your disposal.

Unlike shopping malls or brick-and-mortar stores, you have more chances to score discounts when shopping online. All you just need is a little patience and a lot of online shopping insights!